Posted
by
Soulskill
on Saturday March 30, 2013 @05:20PM
from the unless-flinging-birds-at-pigs-occupies-all-your-brainpower dept.

FuzzNugget writes "ReadWrite has posted a thought-provoking piece on how mobile devices killing our boredom may also be killing our creativity. Quoting: 'Numerous studies and much accepted wisdom suggest that time spent doing nothing, being bored, is beneficial for sparking and sustaining creativity. With our iPhone in hand — or any smartphone, really — our minds, always engaged, always fixed on that tiny screen, may simply never get bored. And our creativity suffers. ... For example, psychology professor Gary Marcus distinguishes between the two primary types of pursuits we use to defeat boredom. "Boredom is the brain's way to tell you you should be doing something else. But the brain doesn't always know the most appropriate thing to do. If you're bored and use that energy to play guitar and cook, it will make you happy. But if you watch TV, it may make you happy in the short term, but not in the long term." So much of what we do on our smartphones, however, is decidedly short-term: a few moments playing a game while we stand in line, a minute to scan Instagram as the person in front of us at the grocery store pulls out their checkbook. ' Of course, you'll probably be reading this on a smartphone."

It's perfectly possible to be "bored" while using an iPhone or iPad or whatever smart device you prefer.

I think point missed by this type of research is assuming that everyone is actively engaged by the device when idly surfing Facebook or Slashdot. In this situation the user may simply be waiting for inspiration to strike (when that happens is unpredictable, otherwise we'd milk it for all it's worth).

Obviously this doesn't apply to everyone in every situation, but to suggest that having access to smart phones is killing creativity is a bit of a stretch.

Is inspiration more or less likely to strike if your mind is occupied?

The creative people I speak to (musicians, mostly) say that going for a walk outside is the best source of inspiration, closely followed by listening to songs by other people and I tend to agree with this.

If cooped up indoors, disengaging the mind is helpful but it takes some practice. Meditation works really well, but it can also be done by playing a simple game on a handheld device or mindlessly scrolling through the Facebook timeline.

Is inspiration more or less likely to strike if your mind is occupied?

The creative people I speak to (musicians, mostly) say that going for a walk outside is the best source of inspiration, closely followed by listening to songs by other people and I tend to agree with this.

If cooped up indoors, disengaging the mind is helpful but it takes some practice. Meditation works really well, but it can also be done by playing a simple game on a handheld device or mindlessly scrolling through the Facebook timeline.

Peace,Andy.

I've not sure you understand what the creative people are trying to say. Inspiration is not some Greek God blessing bestowed randomly on creative people because they are walking in the sun. Every good "inspiration" is the result of hundreds of hours of thinking about something from lots of angles and exploring the various ramifications of the ideas you are generating. You can get this from lots of walks outside with your mind free to play with ideas, you don't get it from playing simple games that occupy your brain.

Talk to a musician or scientist: every "inspiration" is the end result of lots of precursor work. As the pieces start falling into place in your mind, you know you are going to get that breakthrough in a week, or a day, or a minute. It becomes so obvious you hardly need to think about it: "it's so beautiful it must be true" is common to music and physics and math.

Talk to a musician or scientist: every "inspiration" is the end result of lots of precursor work

I never said anything about not requiring previous effort - someone who has never played an instrument or studied music is hardly going to be inspired to write a song, are they?

The main point is that disengaging the mind from the task for which inspiration is sought (be it a tricky development problem or writing a new song) will help, and that it's not necessarily a requirement to be away from all electronic devices. For example, you maybe using your smartphone or iPad or whatever to read a technical manua

You've missed the point. The point is your mind is engaged all the time. You may be bored with your phone but you are still engaged, you aren't daydreaming. So I'm not sure if creativity is being killed completely but it sure isn't being boosted.

I'm not the creative type. So, when I'm bored I read or go lounge by the pool. I doubt anyone, no matter how intelligent, will find the cure for cancer, or the solution to Europe's economic crisis by being bored.

Sure, some people will knit, others will do woodwork, but that's about it. Then again, time you enjoy wasting isn't time wasted.

I'd much rather see people kill time with a smartphone than go get high/drunk, etc.

Some of the time I most value is time spent with my family, particularly my parents since they are aging and it isn't something I'm going to be able to do forever. I have nothing to show for it, I take home with me nothing but memories, and yet I value those memories highly.

I'll never understand the attitude I see online sometimes where people value only actually creating something, or accomplishing something. That as though if you aren't spending your time building something, fixing something, creating something, etc you are just useless.

On the contrary, I find that much of my time spent with non-tangible results to be of value. Even simple personal things. If I spend a weekend lazing around, playing video games, petting my kitty, sleeping in, and so on I have nothing to show for it. However I enjoy it, and I feel relaxed and happy, so how can you call that worthless?

It seems to me to be a rather empty existence if you define your worth by nothing but what you make. I'm not saying don't take pride in things you create, I know I do (well, when they are good at least) but if your definition of self is only in what you make, then what does that really say? What is the point? If personal happiness and enjoyment don't matter, then why bother? If they do matter, then why define them so narrowly to only include the tangible?

It seems to me to be a rather empty existence if you define your worth by nothing but what you make [...] if your definition of self is only in what you make, then what does that really say? What is the point?

You get a measure of immortality. (If you're good enough at whatever it is you do, and enough people know about it or buy it.)

I think some of it has to do with the competitive mindset that we have these days. The things we create are a sort of scorecard that we use to determine how valuable our lives have been with non-tangible things being much harder to score and much harder to assign a value to.

The person I responded to was using the phrase in the literal sense. Knitting and woodworking leave you with something physical that you can show as a result of your effort. You can't show a good relationship the same way. It's not a material object that you can hold up for others to see.

In my experience, there is no such thing as a person that's "not the creative type". Instead, we have people who have learned to be creative, and those who still haven't learned this.

Creativity can be defined as nothing more than putting two ideas together in a way you've never thought of before. It's not some mystical attribute reserved to badly dressed, long-haired, pot smokers. There is no requirement to solve Einstein-level problems to be creative. If you're open minded about this, and practice appr

If you're bored and use that energy to play guitar and cook, it will make you happy. But if you watch TV, it may make you happy in the short term, but not in the long term.

One difference is that I can actually create something using a laptop or mobile device while away from home. For example, I have a 10" laptop on which I code Python programs as a hobby while riding a bus to and from work. I can't very well play the guitar or cook in such a situation.

If you're bored and use that energy to play guitar and cook, it will make you happy. But if you watch TV, it may make you happy in the short term, but not in the long term.

One difference is that I can actually create something using a laptop or mobile device while away from home. For example, I have a 10" laptop on which I code Python programs as a hobby while riding a bus to and from work. I can't very well play the guitar or cook in such a situation.

You're just not being creative enough! A hibachi would easily fit on the bus....

If you're bored and use that energy to play guitar and cook, it will make you happy. But if you watch TV, it may make you happy in the short term, but not in the long term.

One difference is that I can actually create something using a laptop or mobile device while away from home. For example, I have a 10" laptop on which I code Python programs as a hobby while riding a bus to and from work. I can't very well play the guitar or cook in such a situation.

But then you are actually using your 10" laptop for something other than what the study is talking about. Unless, you code Python only when you are bored, that is.

sitting on the commode. Used to be a great place to think, now I just play tetris the whole time.......

You need to have balance in all things in life, too much of anything is no good for you. Whether it's drinking/drug use, smoking, cellphone/ internet/ tv, hobby (even some people) or anything that takes over an otherwise normal life. If you can't walk away from something for an extended period of time without going through anxiety, you might want to consider the possibility that you have an "addiction problem" with them. When something takes you over and becomes a 'need', or an obssession, it might be time

I have TTC courses, Coursera Courses, and iTunesU courses on my iPhone/iPad. So in my downtime I have learned discrete math/cryptography among others and am presently plowing through a great Coursera course in Computational Investing. I also have Algebra Touch on my iPhone and hand it to my younger daughter when we are stuck waiting. For both of my daughters I have TTC math on the iPad to hand to them when bored (some bribery involved).

So I would not say that Mobile devices are inherently bad but that many people use them to peruse the junk food isle. I go to the grocery store an my cart is devoid of palm oil or HFCS. Often I see other people's carts full of products containing both. We are shopping in the same store.

You know, I like to both cook and play guitar, but I really don't think they work well together. An alfredo sauce covered pickup is a terrible thing and I'm pretty sure it's not good for the strings to use them as cheese knives.

Creativity depends in what medium you're working. If you're bored zoning out on the PC reading/., you may get an insight into how to change the design layout of your pet project while doing that. Doing things online doesn't spell a death to all boredom, far from it. There's also a limit how interesting on-line life can be, and the masses are quickly approaching that point as we speak.

My favourite is watching a movie alone while working on a project. Suddenly getting sparks of ideas and then seeing them unf

Come to think of it, you saw metal next to an appliance where exposed conductors are all over the place inside?????

So? Gravity's pretty good about keeping metal dust from flying around the room. And the grounded metal enclosure is pretty good about dissipating any static charge on such conductive dust.

?????, etc.

One of the things that distinguishes actual metal dust from mere filings is the size/mass ratio of the particles. Dust is light enough to float in the air, at least briefly.

In the mean time, you have fans sucking air into the PC case which is chock full of little metal runways spaced very close together. Almost the size of a dust particle in some cases. So the race is between gravity and the fans.

The most important thing is not to write down your idea, it is to IMPLEMENT IT THERE AND THEN. (Writing it down may catalog your idea for future reference, but implementing it right away provides even more insight and later discoveries while doing so). Today's technology makes prototyping even more simpler and accessible, so is bettering the chances even more of CATCHING THE IDEA.

I have often come up with melodies, chorus lines and the like on the way to work. With a smartphone or other pocket recording device I can whistle or sing them in the car-park or any other convenient point, and work them into something useful when I get home. I've had a couple of really good lines come that way - the first one of which I didn't have a recorder with me and lost it. I was able to remember parts of it a few days later but I never managed to get it as perfect as it had been. Two others woul

Right now, I am welding together a necklace. I am on slashdot now because I have to let the welds cool down so that I can move the work and then weld another section. If I don't wait for the weld to cool down, I will burn my finger off. And that means 'ouch' and a trip to the emergency room.

So, I use slashdot to kill time until my weld cools off and I can move the work for my next weld.

[......] I am on slashdot now because I have to let the welds cool down so that I can move the work and then weld another section. If I don't wait for the weld to cool down, I will burn my finger off. [......]

That sounds like a feeble excuse! Have you ever thought of using tongs?

[......] I am on slashdot now because I have to let the welds cool down so that I can move the work and then weld another section. If I don't wait for the weld to cool down, I will burn my finger off. [......]

That sounds like a feeble excuse! Have you ever thought of using tongs?

Don't be silly. When I use tongs to type, half the words come out misspelled.

Devices like tablets are in direct competition with notebooks and in some situations even PCs.Now lets assume the typical slashdot poster, who is a hobby programmer.

If he's sitting at his pc, and surfs on the web, he may interrupt it to do some coding. maybe he's annoyed by something on a website and writes a userscript to change it, or he just gets an idea for a cool script and can instantly switch to a terminal and write it.

If he's surfing on his mobile device, he does not have a keyboard, and not even a

http://books.google.com/books/about/In_Defense_of_Childhood.html?id=hO9dPgAACAAJ [google.com] "The pressures of modern life are increasingly squeezing the adventure, the wonder, the physicality -- the juice -- out of children's lives. Virtually every arena of kids' experience is now subject to some form of outside control, and this is a serious threat to the unique spark that animates every child. Lamenting risk-averse parents, overstructured school days, and a lack of playtime and solitude, this book is a clear and comp

This is clearly nonsense. If it wasn't then the most successful authors would be the ones that never read books - and i'm certain that's not true.

I spent the last two and a half years driving insanely big trucks in a mine, which is mindlessly boring almost all the time. It certainly didn't make me any more creative, in fact it numbed my brain to the point where there was no more creativity left in me. Now i'm at university full time, my creativity's starting to recover. Stimulation, not boredom, is what fuels creativity.

Of the "studies" claimed by the article, one was carried out by a university and seems to have been fairly dubious - although there are no citations either in the article or in the article it refers to - and another was carried out by a mobile phone company and is nothing to do with boredom.That's it. The article linked to from the original article mentions "studies", but doesn't give any clues about what they are. So, as far as i can tell, the "studies" are a fantasy.

Yes, I too noticed that the "studies" seemed to be poorly premised or nonexistent. If we're going to be relying on anecdotal evidence as "studies" then I can certainly counter them with same. Plenty of good data already in the comments, but I find that when I take a break with my smartphone or tablet as a distraction, it certainly doesn't stifle my creativity. In fact, I find that most of the time I'm distracted I am actually rolling one or two ideas around in my head, or I will trigger or discover somethin

I doubt age is a factor as such - although familiarity and comfortableness with technology might play a part in it. (I'm 54 and i've been working with computers on and off for over 30 years, so i'm not sure where that puts me!) But i think it helps to have something to distract your conscious mind while your unconscious churns away creatively.

I think procrastination is an essential part of the sort of creativity that has a deadline, for instance - so long as it doesn't get out of hand! In particular, i'm ta

I'd say that the argument about mobile devices killing creativity is completely individual and subjective. In my case, finding the right combination of fantastic painting apps on the iPad, and the critically important discovery of a brilliant fine-point capacitive stylus (The Jot Pro from Adonit) has reignited the inner artist in this heavily left-brained person for the first time in years. I've been back at cartooning with real and immediate digital feedback as to what I'm drawing in the palm of my hand, a

Plus, the notion that creativity requires boredom misses the mark. Creativity requires idleness, not boredom. Just because you are surrounded by a vast choice of devices and media does not mean you can't take a few minutes to sit quietly and/or meditate.

The beauty of meditation is that it requires no equipment, no special clothing. Just a few minutes time and what you were born with. You can get to the same place an immersion tank will take you and you don't need an expensive tank or towel. And your fingers and piggies won't get all wrinkled.

Like all generalisations, people will find exceptions. However, for me, I can see it. I program. A lot of it is innovative (ie: not currently done) UI design, along with backing algorithms and data systems. I'm finding my most productive *creative* time to be during my daily 10k runs or when I'm walking the dog. That being said, I also spend a lot of time gathering data (reading, web surfing, chatting with people) that provides the raw material for those creative moments.

I agree, long walks and cycling are where I do most of my creative thinking. The activity requires little mental effort and gives me time to let my mind wander. Running is different - I only took it up recently, and I'm still at the point where all of my mental effort has to go into breathing and keeping going (and 5K is my current limit). Even that is great, though, as it's the only time I'm completely switched off from other thoughts other than when I'm asleep, so I think it helps to clear my mind.

I work in a creative field (animation and film) and for me the smart phone inspires tons of creativity. Look at all of the amazing apps and games that creative people are doing in this new medium that wouldn't have happened if the developers weren't addicted to their smart phones.

People sitting alone in their living room and being bored doesn't inspire creativity. Creativity is inspired when people surround themselves with other creative ideas and people, and with smart phones, creative ideas and people are

That is why I have not had a smart-phone so far (but I always carry pen&paper to note down ideas). As I cannot avid the smart-phone anymore, I have selected the minimal data-plan for calendar and email and slow (no fun) web-surfing only, so hopefully it remains a tool to be used only when necessary. Of course the mobile providers want you to game and surf as much as possible so they can make as much profit off you as possible.

One conditioned response to pervasive electronic stimulation is a shallow attention span. There has been some published research in this area, but I can't find it right now,

Attention span is the ability to concentrate on a subject for an extended period of time. If you are only able to concentrate when there is continuous external stimulation, it's shallow concentration. This is the difference between reading a book and playing a first person shooter video game. In the video game you are continually reacting. Reading requires mentally retaining the subject matter as you read, and relating what you are reading now to previous material. One is externally organized, the other is internally organized.

Obviously, it's possible to read an ebook on a smart phone, so the device itself is not intrinsically in one mode or the other. This is why so many of the previous posts point to creative activity enabled by electronics.

Having the ability to maintain internal concentration is a learned skill. The problem with pervasive electronics is that chronic users substitute external stimulation for internal concentration. They don't know how to concentrate on their own.

This is ultimately a deficit. It's why people do really stupid things like texting while driving. There are some activities that demand a high degree of internal concentration, like doing mathematics, coding, or surgery. I guarantee that you don't want someone cutting you open who suddenly starts texting about the procedure, or a judge who is not paying attention to the trail proceeding because they are playing a game with the cellphone in their lap.

My mobile devices have actually contributed to my creativity. I'm a writer, and I've come to depend on my mobile devices quite a lot to, well, write. From my first palm Zire to my current Motorola Flipout, I've depended on my mobile devices to write and edit my various stories. The internet connected devices have also been tremendously handy to do quick research on the various subjects relevant to my writing. In each of the boredom cases listed in the article, I'm much more likely to be continuing whatever

Killing creativity ? maybe - but also exercising your brain - instead of standing in line - staring at the wall or gossiping - playing a game is a better way to stimulate the brain - and help prevent/avoid diseases like Alzheimer's (http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/01/23/brain-games-may-help-thwart-alzheimers-study/)

Its painfully obvious at the grocery store. I've lost count how many spouses (mostly husbands) are shopping for something get on their phone to ask the other spouse what boxed item, can of sauce, vegetable, or other ingredient to get, down to the last variation of the product.

If the husband had any creativity he'd think of something on this own. Or as in days of yore, presence of forethought to have written it down on paper beforehand.

I totally disagree. That's just efficentness. If I tell my husband to stop and pick up cream of chicken soup on his way home so that I can finish making dinner, and he can't find it, so he uses his "creativity" to buy chicken noodle soup and cream instead, then I have to go back to the store and get the right thing. Dinner is late, and if we can't return the chicken noodle soup and cream, money is wasted. Gas money is wasted either way. And I'd probably get upset, feeling like my husband didn't really liste

"Mobile devices" is an annoyingly broad term. I made my daughter's birthday cake yesterday with the aid of a smart phone sporting a recipe and videos on some techniques (like making lemon curd). Not everyone with a mobile device spends a majority of their time on social networks. The fact that I have information with me everywhere I go in a convenient form factor is just plain awesome.

When I'm bored I work to solve it, not numb it. A smart phone is a very useful tool in that endeavor. The people who drool t

I'm 62, I don't really use my mobile [to the great exasperation of younger members of my family and certain friends, yes I do have those] except for emergencies and uncertain rendez-vous arrangements. I don't have an ipod or mp3 player either. I have plenty of computers at home.

By now you are thinking, here's an old luddite, an idiot, aren't you? But I like to sit on a London bus and stare into people's gardens or read a book on the tube [that's the subway or MRT to most of you] rather than scrunch up my

1. IMO if you are bored, you are already past the point of creativity, are subconsciously refusing to be creative due to depression, or are being prevented from doing what you want to do. Boredom is unpleasant, and we naturally avoid unpleasantness when we can, rather than waiting for it to happen and fixing things afterwards. For example, if a jar of pickles slips off the counter, and we see it is headed for our toe, we will instinctively try to move out of the way so that our toe does not get hit, rather

Some people don't allow themselves to BE bored, there's always something interesting, always some question to find an answer to, or some creative question to be asked to attempt to find an answer for.

Bored people are people who are basically stupid. With access to so many things you used to have to work so hard to have access to in the past, if you could discover and access those resources at all, boredom is now more of a red flag that you'r

The point is that just about any hobby you have will only make you happy in the short-term

What? The examples given provide lasting value. Things like watching TV and playing games are generally more limited in scope.

You're flipping things around. Most any hobby will provide happiness on the short term, but not all will provide happiness in the long term. The idea here is that the ones that provide both short and long term happiness are better than the ones that merely provide for the short term.

The point is that just about any hobby you have will only make you happy in the short-term

What? The examples given provide lasting value. Things like watching TV and playing games are generally more limited in scope.

You're flipping things around. Most any hobby will provide happiness on the short term, but not all will provide happiness in the long term. The idea here is that the ones that provide both short and long term happiness are better than the ones that merely provide for the short term.

I've known lots of people who played a musical instrument for a few years, and then it just collects dust in the corner. It doesn't provide any long term happiness necessarily.

If you claim that active hobbies have greater than chances of providing you with long term happiness than passive term hobbies, you might be on to something - because they are active, they can be followed on for many years, instead of at the whim of the source.

Reading, for example, has provided me with many years of happiness, and I expect it will continue to do so. Is reading any different from watching a TV show? Not really. It is still a passive activity - though I have a greater choice in books (though it is slowly changing, since I am not restricted in watching what passes for entertainment in my part of the world). Now, reading might involve imagination (like a kid who imagines himself as a Knight), but it doesn't have to.

Lasting happiness is a very strange concept - you are happy doing something now. I doubt I'd get much happiness remembering the violin I played as a kid, or the scuba diving trip I took a few years ago, or the TV show I saw a decade ago.

Lots of difference between reading and watching, In both cases we "see" events. What you see is what you get like a panther or bird. Pure sighted visuals overwhelm. But, the reader must manufacture those scenes from word associated meaning. Quite a human snark... the reader creates! Lots different, eh hoser...?

However, there are apparently two forms of happiness. The happiness of being, and the happiness of remembering. The happiness of being is what you describe, whatever you are doing RIGHT NOW can be pleasant or unpleasant. The happiness of remembering is remembering those vacations with your kids, or remembering the violin lessons, the recitals, the fear resolving into pride, etc.

as far as creativity goes, I find that long walks are always a great way to genera

There are deep truths in what you say. I wonder sometimes what horrible things it says about the human condition that so many of our best ideas come from the mind's desperate attempts to escape our immediate surroundings. Thank goodness I can't play iPhone games in the shower or I'd never have a creative idea at all these days.

In a less cynical mindset, I might argue that things like long walks and showers are taking care of the body in order to free the mind (so, not boredom, just not overwhelming it wi

If I had a boat, it would be floated by "water". (Perhaps "fresh" or perhaps "salt", but water nonetheless). So should I put water on the guitar or just try to play water instead of the guitar? Because frankly I don't think that will work unless I freeze the water first. So maybe you mean I should replace the guitar and cooking with carving ice sculptures? They can float my boat after they melt.

In your case, I think it would be more appropriate to replace the water with a fairly strong antipsychotic.